Have you ever had a close call… maybe a near-miss on the highway, or a slip on icy steps, or a moment where things could have gone dramatically differently and you looked around and thought… ‘How did that not end worse?’
I’m guessing, like me, you’d say… “Of course… I’ve had a ton of close calls, or things that could have turned out much worse!”
Now, before I get too far ahead of myself, let me tell you ‘Why’ I’m asking this question. I didn’t have a ‘close call’ recently, at least not one that I’m aware of, rather, something in God’s Word got me thinking about something that if I’m being honest, well, I don’t think about all that often… ANGELS.
As I continue my six-month journey through the scriptures with Tristan (my oldest son), I started reading through Hebrews this week and towards the end of chapter one, I came across a verse that I’ve read before, but after I read it, I was left wondering… “Has this been in there the whole time?”
See that verse with me…
"Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation."
Hebrews 1:14 (NLT)
The writer of Hebrews doesn't spend a lot of time being poetic or dramatic about the reality of angels, rather, the writer of Hebrews is very matter-of-fact when it comes to angels – they are servants… they are spirits sent on assignment to care for the people who belong to God – nothing more, nothing less.
I believe in angels… I’m guessing you do as well. But having a belief in something, in this case, angels does not always translate into thinking about the role they play in my life. And according to God’s Word… they play a significant role.
Jesus talked about angels… more than I realized. When Jesus was asked about who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of God and he points to a child… do you remember what He said about children?
See that with me in Matthew 18:10 –
"Beware that you don't look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father."
‘Their angels’ - that is present tense, meaning, they are always before the Father. Jesus said that like it was the most natural thing in the world, because to Him — it was.
There is SO MUCH that I do not know or understand about ‘HOW’ angels serve us, but I do know this… and I want you to know it as well… THEY DO!
The God who spoke galaxies into existence, who holds the cosmos together, who knows the number of hairs on your head (and yes, in my case that’s a bit easier) – that same God has commissioned supernatural servants to be involved in the details of your life.
The word "care" in Hebrews 1:14 carries the idea of ministry — active service, not passive observation. How this practically works, I’m not sure, but I do know this – they are sent by God to provide care for us.
In looking back, there are too many moments where either something happened that could have turned out much worse, or moments that were just ‘too good to be true’ – I wonder if those moments that I often dismissed without much thought were moments where God’s servants were doing what they’re called to do…
‘care for people who will inherit salvation.’
I ‘feel’ as if I just opened a ginormous can of worms by talking about ‘angels’ caring for us, but if I could just simply leave you with this…
YOU ARE MORE LOOKED AFTER THAN YOU KNOW!
Our God is an amazing Father who has not only sent His Son for you — He has dispatched His servants to care for you.
We are not alone.
We have never been alone.
And… we are more cared for than I think we all realize!
